Throughout the world there are numerous methods of dealing with a person after they have died. For thousands of years one of the most widely used methods has been to bury the corpse of a dead person, with a marker such as a tombstone indicating where a person is buried. Eventually, in cities or towns where large groups of people live certain areas have been where designated so that many corpses could be buried in one location. These locations came to be called a cemetery. There were also alternative locations such as below-ground catacombs or above-ground mausoleums. By the 20th century in most western countries it was common to have a cemetery along with a mausoleum which gave people an option of where to place their loved ones remains.
As time has progressed it has become apparent that burying a dead person, along with a coffin, or placing a dead person and coffin in a mausoleum requires a significant amount of space for each person. The cost of providing a coffin and a cemetery or mausoleum gravesite is also significant.
The answer to this situation has actually also long existed and consists of simply burning the corpse of a dead person. Burning, or cremating, a corpse does not require an expensive coffin and the ashes that remain can be easily buried, placed in a mausoleum, scattered in an appropriate location, or even kept by the family.
Typically, when a loved one's ashes are placed in a mausoleum or kept by the family, a burial or cremation urn is utilized to maintain the ashes. There are many types, styles, shapes and sizes of cremation urns. Unfortunately, there have been problems with cremation urns. It is important to remember that cremated ashes are an organic material. Placing the ashes in a common urn with a simple lid, allows both air and moisture to interact with the ashes, often with negative results. Also urns are sometimes made of a fragile material that if dropped or impacted can break, thereby spilling the ashes.
In order to provide a solution to these problems cremation urns have been developed that include an inner storage container for the ashes and an outer decorative container. Both containers are optimally made of a durable material which will not break if dropped or impacted. Even though these modern cremation urns do solve some of the problems, there is still an issue with the manufacturing process which creates an urn with seams from multiple sections that are attached together. The seams allow air and moisture to enter, which remains one of the major original problems.
The solution is to create/provide a cremation urn that includes an inner ash container surrounded by an outer container, which allows for the safe storage and transportation of ashes. The cremation urn should be manufactured by a method that does not leave any seams or other openings into which air or moisture can enter the urn and damage the ashes within.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
PAT. NO.INVENTORISSUED5,203,810Davidian20 Apr. 19935,732,452Riedel II31 Mar. 1998009/0020488A1Turkel22 Jan. 2009
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,810 discloses a method of making a concrete structure, such as a burial vault, having an integrally bonded thermoplastic resin liner. The liner is a rigid molded product having a bottom wall and side walls and an open top. A thermos-setting resin adhesive is applied to the outer surface of the liner and consists of an epoxy resin system, a solvent for the thermoplastic liner, and a surfactant. Before the adhesive is fully cured, wet flowable concrete is applied to the adhesive layer. The solvent acts to solubilize the outer surface of the plastic liner, while the surfactant provides a firmly bonded composite structure.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,452 discloses a dual-layer burial urn comprising a hollow outer decorative casing surrounding an inner resilient liner formed of a high-impact plastic. The outer casing is formed from a base and contains an opening at one end of its body, with a recess surrounding the opening. The inner liner has a screw-threaded aperture aligned with the opening and the recess. An inner plastic top having a screw-threaded portion for engaging the aperture of the inner liner is provided for sealing the inner liner.
The 2009/0020488A1 published patent discloses a shatterproof urn for cremation remains that includes an outer shell defining an interior volume and having an interior surface and an opening for the placement and removal of contents from the interior volume. The outer shell is fabricated from a hard and durable material. A resilient and/or flexible lining is disposed on the interior surface of the outer shell and may partly adhere to the interior surface. A lid is provided and is size for sealed placement over the opening in the outer shell.
For background purposes and indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the following remaining patents found in the patent search.
PAT. NO.INVENTORISSUEDDes.400,683Saaf et al3 Nov. 1998900,980Callahan, et al13 Oct. 19081,048361Sievert24 Dec. 19121,454,427Cunning8 May 19231,484,896Mannix26 Feb. 19241,903,197Scott28 Mar. 19331,974,666Scott25 Sept. 19342,261,651Lambert4 Nov. 19413,654,676McHugh11 Apr. 19724,170,054Ruffner et al9 Oct. 19794,320,562Kelley23 Mar. 19824,372,018Miller, IV et al8 Feb. 19834,823,448Martin25 Apr. 19894,854,018Von Bratt8 Aug. 19895,157,817Davidian27 Oct. 19925,245,733Goria21 Sep. 19935,379,499Jackson10 Jan. 19955,722,133Farris et al3 Mar. 19986,145,175Enneking et al14 Nov. 20002010/0088866 A1Fifer et alPub. 15 Apr. 20102013/0125357 A1Drew et al23 May 20132014/0000075 A1Catlett2 Jan. 20142014/0090216 A1Kotila et al3 Apr. 2014